Fall Back!

So did you remember to move all your clocks back one hour before you went to bed last night? If you didn't, then you are an hour early for whatever you were supposed to be doing right now. Just think, you could have had an extra hour of sleep!

Back in the old days, when I was a kid, setting the clocks back in the fall or ahead in the spring was a pretty simple thing. There was usually a clock in the kitchen, living room and an alarm clock in mom and dad's bedroom. It only took a couple of minutes to reset them and any watches.

My how times have changed! There are clocks on almost everything and they are all programed completely differently!! Unless you have a very good memory or get really lucky just playing with the controls, odds are you will have to pull out the manual for at least one of them - that's assuming that you still have the manual and can actually find it!

It absolutely amazes me how many clocks that we all accumulate without even trying. Most of my clocks are small and are for a specific item/purpose. There are clocks on; the stove, microwave, TV, 2 VCR's, 2 phones, answering machine, 2 clock radios, mini system, talking clock, 3 wall clocks and 2 settings to adjust on my talking watch. There are also clocks on the computer and the digital cable box - but they are done automatically. My mp3 player will adjust when I recharge it or plug it into the computer next time.

If you are counting, that is 17 that I have to adjust and 3 that will self adjust. 20 clocks for a legally blind woman living in a 500 sq. foot apartment! I know it is ridiculous, but it is true. I bet some of you have even more!

The clocks on the appliances and electronics are all pretty common these days. I only use those clocks when I'm using that particular item, but I still want a reasonably accurate time.

I have two clock radios on my bookcase headboard in my bedroom. One at either end. That way I can see either clock when I wake up in the middle of the night. It is also so much fun watching those numbers go by as I lay there on any of those restless nights of insomnia that are so common to women of a certain age/stage of life!

I only wear my watch when I am out of the building, so I rely more on the large wall clocks for a quick check of the time. I also use the computer clock a lot.

You'd almost think I'm obsessed with time. I'm not, but I am one of those people who absolutely hates being late. I consider punctuality a respectful courtesy to the people who come in and out of our lives.

Some people are just geared to run late and that annoys the heck out of me. One guy I knew, always ran about 15-20 minutes late so I finally ended up telling him that we were meeting about 15 minutes earlier than I wanted to meet him so that he would show up more or less on time. He did catch on after a while and it became a running joke as to whether we were using his clock or mine.

Sure there are certain situations that you can't help running a bit late such as during bad weather, transportation problems or traffic tie ups, but you can also plan ahead for most of those situations by checking the weather reports the day before, get your vehicle tuned regularly, take an earlier bus and check the daily traffic reports. There is also this unique invention called a phone that you can actually call and let someone know that you are running late!

So, do yourself - and those around you - a favour, Take a close look around your home, vehicle and office. Are ALL of the clocks reset to the correct time? If they aren't, take the time to find the manual and reset them before you get even further behind and really annoy people like me.

Thank you!

BTW, while you are at it, please check and replace the batteries in your smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors. You never know when they might just save your life or someone you love!

dn